Lamentations 3:36

to defraud a person in a lawsuit – the Lord ¹  does not approve ²  of such things!

to deprive a man of justice—would not the Lord see such things?

To defraud a man in his lawsuit— Of these things the Lord does not approve.

They perverted justice in the courts. Do they think the Lord didn’t see it?

Tampering with evidence--the Master does not approve of such things.

In his doing wrong to a man in his cause, the Lord has no pleasure.

when one’s case is subverted—does the Lord not see it?

Or subvert a man in his cause––The Lord does not approve.

to defraud a person in a lawsuit – the Lord ¹  does not approve ²  of such things!

¹ tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the tc note at 1:14.

² tn Heb “the Lord does not see.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”) is here used in reference to mental observation and approval: “to gaze at” with joy and pleasure (e.g., 2 Kgs 10:16; Mic 7:9; Jer 29:32; Isa 52:8; Job 20:17; 33:28; Pss 54:9; 106:5; 128:5; Son 3:11; 6:11; Eccl 2:1). If the line is parallel to the end of v. 35 then a circumstantial clause “the Lord not seeing” would be appropriate. The infinitives in 34-36 would then depend on the verbs in v. 33; see D. R. Hillers, Lamentations (AB), 71.